In a long-anticipated announcement Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration opened up proposals for the six Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) test and research sites across the country.

In a news release, the FAA stated "expanded use of UAS represents a major next step in aviation innovation and will present economic opportunities both for the communities that are selected for this pilot program and for the aerospace industry in general.”

In the announcement, the agency opened up proposals for states, local governments and eligible universities to put in the paperwork.

The opening, called a screening information request, opens the floodgates for Inyokern Airport and other test sites in California to put out bids along with other competitors.

Numerous communities across the country are vying for the test selection, with states and communities throwing in resources in a bid to secure themselves for one of the coveted spots.

The FAA said the testing requirements would be the same for all applicants, including consideration of “geographic diversity, climatic diversity, location of ground infrastructure and research needs, population density and air traffic density, as well as specific goals and objectives to be accomplished.”

Eileen Shibley, Executive Director of China Lake Alliance, said this was a great opportunity.

“The UAS team from Inyokern Airport is very excited about the opportunity to respond to this FAA request,” Shibley said Thursday evening. “The China Lake Alliance is very excited about being supportive because we believe this is potentially something is going to help the whole valley, and is definitely going to help China Lake.”

Shibley heads up the committee in trying to secure Inyokern and California as a test site for UAS.

Congress passed two laws in 2012 directing the FAA to create six test and research sites to help integrate the aircraft into civilian manned airspace by 2015.

UAS moving into civilian and private use opens up new opportunities, especially in law enforcement and forest agencies spotting fires in remote agencies.

U.S. Transportation Secretarial Ray LaHood said the six test sites were an important step forward.

“Our focus is on maintaining and improving the safety and efficiency of the world's largest aviation system,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. “This research will give us valuable information about how best to ensure the safe introduction of this advanced technology into our nation’s skies.”

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the research will help federal officials learn how the systems will operate in various environments and the impact on air traffic operations.

“The test sites will also inform the agency as we develop standards for certifying unmanned aircraft and determine necessary air traffic requirements,” Huerta said.

Page 2 of 3 - The FAA was initially supposed to pick six sites by December, but the agency delayed the matter after concerns about privacy arose.

The matter will be considered in the application process as the FAA is sending a notice to the Federal Register asking the public to review the draft privacy language and provide comments, and will be included in any final agreement between the FAA and the test site operator.

In short, test site operators will be required to follow “federal, state and other laws regarding the protection of an individual’s right to privacy,” according to the FAA.

Along with the test site selection process, the FAA is sending a notice to the Federal Register asking the public to review the draft privacy language and provide comments. According to the press release, the FAA will consider all comments submitted as it develops the final privacy requirements. These requirements will be included in the agreements between the test sites and the FAA. The privacy proposal is available on the FAA’s website.

Under the FAA privacy proposal each test site operator must ensure that its privacy policies are informed by Fair Information Practice Principles, a widely accepted framework of privacy principles at the core of numerous federal and state privacy laws.

According to a press release, prior to the close of the Federal Register comment period, the FAA will host an online listening session to solicit additional comments on the proposed privacy approach. The agency will publish a notice providing details for the listening session sufficiently in advance with full details.

The announcement comes days after the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus, co-chaired by U.S. Congressman Buck McKeon of California, pushed the FAA to set site testing process back on track.

The word from the Caucus: The FAA's mission is on safety aspects, and leave the matter of privacy to Congress and other agencies.

Others have pushed for the FAA to either release the requirement documents or move forward, including advocates backing the transition of unmanned aerial systems and politicians such as U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who represents Ridgecrest.

“Congressman Kevin McCarthy and Congressman Buck McKeon have both been instrumental in helping keep pressure on the system to get us to this point, so we're grateful for this support,” Shibley said.

Shibley said the Inyokern Airport team had a large task ahead of it and the information for the SIR would take time for the people to wade through, but felt ready to tackle the challenge.

“Based on looking at the screening information request, it's going to be a considerable effort,” she said.

First District Supervisor Mick Gleason said it was good news.

“I think Inyokern Airport has the best people in position to respond to the RFP and sort through the requirements,” Gleason said Thursday night.

Page 3 of 3 - However, he said processes like the test site application were complicated and needed to be thoroughly reviewed before responding.

“You don't want to put the cart before the horse,” he said. “Eileen (Shibley) is spot on about being thorough.”

Shibley was optimistic with the FAA's decision to move forward on the request.

“I think it means the FAA does intend to name these six sites across the US,” she said. “I think this is a wonderful opportunity for teaming with all of our partners, especially our industry partners.”